


Faded

by SquiggleDragon



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: F/M, Fantasy, Fox!Soul, Kitsune!Soul, Reincarnation, SoMa - Freeform, Soul x Maka - Freeform, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:28:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23504626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SquiggleDragon/pseuds/SquiggleDragon
Summary: Ever since the massacre 200 years ago, the powerful fox youkai Soul has been at odds with the gods of the heavens. After being grievously wounded and left for dead, he finds his savior in the form of a small human girl named Maka. Though abhorring the thought of being at the mercy of a mere human, Soul continues the disguise of being a normal fox. But why is this girl so damn familiar...?
Relationships: Maka Albarn/Soul Eater Evans
Comments: 8
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my first fic in years. I'll do my best!

Lightning flashed, lighting up the dark sky for but a moment as the rumble of thunder echoed through the land. It had yet to start raining, though it was only a matter of time before the storm would arrive in its full glory.

Labored breathing could be heard as a tall figure stumbled through the vegetation of the countryside, trying to escape from some threat. Pale hair could be seen, though what would normally have been the color of fresh snow was currently dirty with tinges of blood and soil.

The man's foot caught an upturned tree root and he fell forward, shutting his eyes tightly and hissing in pain upon making contact with the ground. His abnormally sharp teeth were gritted as he twisted his body to clutch at his chest, where blood stained his clothing.

Of course, it would choose to start raining at this point and the figure let out a shuddering sigh, "Figures… this is stupid. Damn gods…."

The injured fox demon stared at a particularly large blade of grass several inches away, mulling over his predicament. He was injured - and severely so. It was unlikely that he'd make it out of this alive, especially if those infernal gods were still trying to track him down. 

What did he do to deserve this? Ah, _right_ \- killed a bunch of people. It's been at least a couple of centuries since the last massacre, but apparently they aren't willing to forgive and forget. At least a dozen were gods… or was it two dozen? 

Hell, no wonder they were pissed.

The wind kicked up and buffeted against his fallen form, causing him to shut his eyes. _‘Crap!’_ He wasn't sure if it was from the storm or one of his attackers had managed to find him. He needed to keep _moving_ …

He needed to _hide_.

The demon clenched his jaw, hating the thought of having to flee like some coward. The great and powerful Soul Eater, who has taken on great entities and overcame them despite being at a major disadvantage, having to run away. Until now, _they_ feared _him_ ….

With a quiet sigh of resignation, Soul closed his eyes again and focused. His physical form shifted and started shrinking. Where there once was a more humanoid figure now laid a small, white fox. Well, mostly white, given the dirt and blood currently staining his fur.

Soul pushed himself to stand, staggering slightly and wincing as more blood dripped from his wound. He couldn't succumb to his injuries now; he had too much to prove to those high and mighty gods. Weak and injured was not how they were going to last remember him.

Ignoring the pain the best he could, the small fox trudged through the grass. His large ears swiveled at another rumble of thunder, trying to also listen for anything unusual. Not that he could exactly present much of a challenge in his current state. Maybe give them a nasty bite on the face….

Soul paused to shake out his fur, sending both blood and water flying. He immediately regretted it, nearly losing his balance and flopping over. 'Smooth move, idiot.' Apparently, the horrid sensation of damp fur outweighed the pain from a bleeding gash in his chest. _'Ew. Ow. Ew…'_

 _Could his situation get any worse?_

It was almost as if the Universe responded with a resounding **_"Yes!"_**

The rain became a torrential downpour, which soaked him to the bone in a matter of seconds. _'Since when did I stumble into an active hurricane? At least this damn rain should wash away my blood trail. The last thing I need right now is-'_

He froze, hearing movement in a nearby bush. The fox youkai slowly turned his head to see a hulking silhouette. It was obvious to him what it was and he glared skyward, as if his torturer was among the clouds. _'-a bear? Seriously, who is screwing with me right now?! What kind of karmic bullshit is this?!'_

Soul arched his back and bristled, red eyes flashing angrily as the bear ambled closer. Once the large beast got within ten feet of him, the white fox bared his teeth and growled lowly, _'You really want to mess with me, you thick-headed nimrod?'_

The bear paused and seemed to think things over, which gave Soul an inkling of hope that his tough posturing worked. Not that some _'dumb woodland animal'_ could ever hope to get the better of him when he was remotely close to full strength. However, the fox youkai was about as weak as an average fox at this point. 

Once again, fate was clearly not in his favor as the bear bellowed and charged at him. With a snarl, Soul ducked as massive claws barely missed grazing his head. The adrenaline was fortunately numbing the pain for now, which allowed the fox to spring upward and latch onto the bear's neck with his jaws, _'Gotcha!'_

With an enraged roar, the mighty ursine thrashed about as Soul clamped down harder, holding on for dear life. Unfortunately, being tossed about burned through his already fading strength faster. With one final shake, Soul came loose and flew several feet before making contact with the ground. Due to the force, his body tumbled another foot or two before sliding to a complete stop. 

Soul laid there, stunned and in even worse pain than he had been initially. Hearing heavy footsteps, he mentally screamed at his body to get moving. It obliged, albeit very slowly and not without a large amount of agony. The battered youkai pushed himself up into an awkward seated position, drawing his lips back in a defiant snarl up at his encroaching killer.

He had thought his end would come by one of those pieces of shit claiming to be gods - likely from them raiding him because they sure as hell couldn’t seem to do it on fair terms. But here he was, about to be killed by one of those ‘dumb woodland animals.’ It was so pathetic that he felt bile rise in the back of his throat - or was that a side effect of having the shit beaten out of him? 

Despite his (pathetic) attempts at intimidating the bear, the large creature grunted before taking another swipe at the small fox. Adrenaline and moxie could not save Soul this time and the weakened youkai went flying again, bleeding from the side of his neck where the bear’s claws raked him. He let out a gasp of pain upon making contact with the ground, shutting his eyes tightly. 

His small form laid there, curled up and shivering in pain as the threads of fear wrapped themselves around him. Soul could not remember the last time he felt like this, though he had never before been skirting so close to death. Despite being so long-lived, he really did not want to die here. Not just because of his ego and his soon-to-be-killer being a simple bear, but for whatever reason… the thought of ceasing to exist _terrified_ him.

His ears twitched slightly upon hearing the bear’s heavy breathing getting closer, likely as it moved in for the final blow. Try as he might, Soul could not get his limbs to move at all outside of the shivering. He felt a breath ruffle the fur around the back of his neck and stiffened, holding his breath….

Suddenly, there was a loud raucous that was enough to cause him to fold his ears against his head in an attempt to muffle it. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it sounded like someone was hitting something repeatedly and shouting at the top of their lungs.

_*Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!*_

_“Go away! Back off!”_

Soul belatedly realized that he no longer felt the bear breathing down his neck and dared to turn his head to look behind him. The bear could be seen running off, disappearing into the nearby bushes. _‘Huh.’_

Faintly hearing other footsteps, the fox youkai’s eyes slowly drifted in the direction he made them out to be from. He was quite tired and was more than ready for a nap - even if that nap turned out to be permanent. He’d lost a fair amount of blood and had been in two fights almost back to back. If this new development was how he was going to leave this world, then so be it.

Instead, his eyes trailed up to the form of a human girl as she hurried over to him. He couldn’t make too much out between his fading eyesight and the darkness. There was some artificial source of light, but it only worked to further obscure her. He felt a hand rest on his side and lightly ghost across his wounds, but he found it strangely reassuring.

His ears caught whispers, mostly in regards to her assessment of his sorry state of being at the moment. Soul’s eyes once again traveled up towards her face, but couldn’t make much out aside from a strange - almost _childish_ \- hairstyle. Normally, he’d be alarmed in such a situation, but he felt strangely at ease.

There was a peculiar rustling sound and he saw her taking her outermost garment off, which seemed almost like a hooded cloak. Soul winced and squeezed his eyes shut again as he felt himself being scooped up and wrapped in the article of clothing. Everything hurt so badly that he almost wished he was killed by that stupid bear. He apparently let out a whine, because he felt her grip on him tighten before she stood with him in her arms.

_“Don’t worry little fox - you’re safe. Rest now and please stay alive….”_

The fox youkai was confused by the tone of her voice and picked up the faintest quiver in it. Soul also realized just how cold he was, even while being wrapped up in whatever she had been wearing. Despite his usual pride, he found himself unconsciously snuggling up against her for warmth and let out another small whine from the effort. He could feel them moving - and judging from the motion, she was running. 

He struggled to stay awake and succumbed to his exhaustion shortly after - lulled to sleep by her heartbeat.


	2. Do I know you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taking a bit from the amazing ochako999 on Tumblr! She had some great ideas for Soul. <3

Soul cracked his eyes open, vision blurring initially as sunlight filtered in. _'Daylight…? Fuck… how long was I out for?'_

He was resting on a nest of blankets in some sort of contraption, similar to a basket. While Soul was not necessarily up-to-date with the technological advances of the world, he at least managed to acquire a fair amount of knowledge. 

_'Plastic basket,'_ he decided, lightly pushing against the sides with a furry paw despite his body's protest. He started to stretch, immediately thinking better of it when pain shot through every square inch of his small form. The youkai paused, noticing a makeshift cast on his other foreleg, _'What's this…? A splint?'_ Soul scrutinized it, narrowing his blood-colored eyes before giving it a tentative sniff. The scent of antiseptic burned his nasal passages and he sneezed profoundly, wrinkling his nose in displeasure, _'Absolutely horrible.'_

Memories of the previous night returned to the forefront of his mind and his lip curled slightly, _'They'll be six feet under the ground when I recover.'_ The fox drew his lips back further into a fierce snarl, digging his claws into the blanket, _'And I'll hunt down that cocky bear and turn it into a bear skin rug. No one jumps me like that when I'm-'_

"Oh, you're awake!"

Soul screeched in surprise, fur standing on end and eyes wide with alarm. Raising his gaze, he spotted the source of the voice and stared at her warily. She seemed relatively young from what he could tell, as humans aged very differently than youkai. Their eyes met and Soul squinted slightly as a peculiar feeling overcame him. 

_‘I’ve seen those eyes before… somehow…’_

The pigtailed girl knelt down next to the basket, lightly resting her arms on the edge of it and peering down at him, “I didn’t mean to startle you. Sorry about that.” The human offered a warm smile, which he felt himself relax slightly at, “You’ve been out for two days. I was really starting to worry about you, little fox. I gave you some antibiotics and-”

_‘Anti-whats-is?’_

“-just in case. I mean, you got beaten up by a huge bear of all things! You’re lucky I could scare it off!” 

She grinned at him, and he was sure he’d blush if he wasn’t currently two feet tall and covered in fur. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt oddly embarrassed.

“You also broke your leg,” she continued, her smile fading into a look of concern. Her green eyes traveled down to the splint currently on his left foreleg and he followed her gaze, nostrils flaring slightly at remembering the scent of chemicals.

“I hope you’re comfortable,” the girl added after a small pause, hunching over slightly. “I just kinda had to use what was available. Unfortunately, that ended up being the laundry basket.”

His ears flattened against his skull and he glared up at her, growling lightly, _‘Are you serious?! Your dirty clothes were in here, weren’t they?!’_

Taken aback ever so slightly by his suddenly hostile aura, his absent-minded savior frowned, “Hey, I launder my clothes daily, okay?”

_‘So they WERE!’_ he hissed angrily.

She narrowed her eyes and puffed out her cheeks a bit, clearly able to tell he was agitated with her, “Would you calm down? I’m quite clean! Do you actually understand me or something? Because this doesn’t seem like normal wild animal aggression to me….” He froze at her words, so she continued, “You only have to deal with me for a bit, okay? As soon as you’re healed up, I’ll release you back out so you can continue your moodiness elsewhere.”

Soul let out an audible snort, achingly rising to a seated position despite the cast. He furrowed his brows, starting to feel light headed almost immediately, _'Oh right… I haven't eaten in a few days.'_

The youkai squinted slightly, feigning interest in some invisible spot on the blanket in an attempt to ignore her. There was no chance in Hell he would be accepting any more aid from this weird human. A powerful, nine-tailed kitsune at the mercy of a tiny human girl? 

_'Unheard of and laughable.'_

In the brief moment of silence, his stomach decided to betray him and let out the most shameful growl that he was sure could be heard by the human girl in question. Soul froze, ears pinned back and expression completely mortified. _‘Fuck! No! Fuck, fuck, fu-’_

“Sounds like you’re hungry,” she commented, causing him to sulk slightly. Still, he refused to look at her and remained tensed, cursing his stomach a thousand times. Hunger was such a pathetic weakness.

He started to make some noise of protest before he realized that the pigtailed girl was missing; likely finding food, no doubt. Soul growled before trying to hop out of the basket, instead throwing his body against it. The result was the laundry basket tipping over on its side, forcing him to topple forward with it. His tail obscured his vision as he growled again, painstakingly moving to where he could even make the attempt to stand up, _‘Oi! Get your ass back here! I will NOT be indebted to you! HUMAN! Don’t you DARE!’_

Soul awkwardly stumbled out of the room, given the cast on his leg. His body ached and pleaded with him not to be so rash with his movements. He knew full well he should be resting, but he sure as hell was NOT about to let himself come across as some weak victim. He could take care of himself, _damn it!_ The bandaging and doting for two days was _enough_.

While he had no idea of the layout of this strange place, he was easily able to find his target by following the noise. This girl didn't exactly make it difficult with all of the racket she generated - which seemed to be a _talent_ of hers when he thought back to the incident with the bear.

The kitsune awkwardly entered the kitchen, body lowered and his large ears pricked forward as he approached. The girl in question was currently crouched in front of an open cupboard, biting the nail of her thumb in a thoughtful manner. She was examining a can clutched in her other hand, furrowing her brows in deep concentration.

Despite his _impeccably_ stealthy entrance, the girl almost seemed like she could sense his presence. Soul froze when she looked up from the can to meet his gaze. She pursed her lips a bit before hesitantly holding up the can for him to see, "Do you eat dog food…?"

Every fiber in Soul's small body seemed to light up at the sheer audacity of her statement, wanting to yell at her for such a dumb question. The fox arched his back in an almost cat-like manner, fur ruffling as he glared at her and snarled, _'Do I look like a **dog** to you?!'_

Despite his clearly aggressive reaction to her, she seemed mostly unaffected outside of mild irritation. Any normal person would likely be wary or even scared that the snarling fox would lunge at them. This strange girl, however, treated him more like a petulant child.

"Goodness fox, it was just a simple question," she replied with a hint of agitation before putting the dog food back into the cupboard. “Given your attitude problem, I didn’t think you would. It was just something that _normal_ foxes tend to eat if given to them and it was on the list when I researched it.” Closing the cupboard door, she stood up and stretched her back for a moment with a grimace, “I’m a college student, so therefore quite poor. However, it would seem I need to move a little up in the price range for your more _sophisticated_ tastes.”

“Fortunately for you,” she started after a brief pause, walking over to the stove. “I had gotten some chicken earlier to make some chicken noodle soup from scratch since I seem to be battling a small cold. I’ll give you some of the chicken and a bit of broth, if that will suit your tastes better, _Your Majesty_.” Ignoring the sour expression he gave her in response, the human equipped an apron and started to prepare the meal.

Soul watched her quietly as she worked, eventually deciding to lay down against one of the farther walls. When she set a pot on a nearby counter, an envelope resting along the edge drifted through the air and gently landed a short distance away from him. The fox glanced at the envelope, curiosity winning out as to what it was. With another wary glance up at her, he slowly inched his way across the floor in a rather comical fashion, given the cast on his leg. 

After what seemed like an hour to him, he stretched out one paw and managed to rest it on one corner of the envelope, feeling oddly accomplished at the meager task. His long tail twitched happily, clearly easily amused at the simplest of things. Soul pulled the envelope closer to him, blood-colored irises searching out the name on it, _‘Maybe now I’ll know what the hell this crazy human’s name -- !’_

_‘Maka.’_ The kitsune’s body went rigid as soon as he made out the girl’s name, feeling the oddest sense of foreboding. Much like her eyes, her name seemed somehow familiar. 

_Why did it feel like a boulder of ice was currently settling in his stomach?_

While the dam didn’t break open, it was clearly overflowing and he was caught in a downward spiral. Before he could process one emotion, another broke through almost like a tidal wave - or would, but everything felt also strangely _faded_. 

_Fear_ … which made his recent experience with near-death pale in comparison despite the fact he knew it wasn’t but an echo of the original emotion.

A profound _sadness_ … like something gravely important was lost. It briefly felt like his heart had been **ripped** out and a gaping hole was left in its place… _yet he didn’t bleed_. Slowly bleeding to death would have been more _merciful_.

And finally, a surge of anger that threatened to take over completely. The rage Soul felt almost overwhelmed the feeling of loss and his power felt on the verge of being let loose. His eyes glowed ominously, lips drawing back in a snarl as the feeling only intensified. Faint outlines of his other eight tails could be seen waving in the air behind him as his power crept up, seeming unaffected by his weakened state. At this moment, however, Soul could not care less if he transformed to his true form here in the kitchen. His mind felt _blank_ aside from the desire to _lose control_ \- to **kill**. 

Something needed to be _destroyed…_

_Someone needed to be **torn apart** …._

Somehow, the sound of the lid slamming down on the pot snapped him out of whatever confusing trance he had been in. His eyes widened in shock, trying to get his breathing under control as his body trembled in the wake of the strange event. Losing all strength, Soul collapsed onto his stomach and laid there with a distant glaze to his eyes. His brain scrambled to make sense of what it all meant, Maka’s worried voice barely registering. Even as she kneeled at his side and scooped him up, talking to him... her voice sounded so muffled.

_“Tama!”_ another voice cried, sounding similar to the girl’s voice that was currently cradling him - yet it certainly wasn’t her. _It couldn’t be_ , because her lips didn’t match the motions. 

_Just what the hell was going on?_

Slowly, Soul managed to pull himself back to reality and focused his gaze on Maka’s worried expression. His hearing returned to normal to hear her muttering various things about how stupid she was to think she could take care of him properly. For whatever reason, she was in a state of blind panic over him - and he couldn’t figure out _why_. He’s treated her like **crap** this entire time, being aggressive and - as much as it pains him to admit it - _ungrateful_. 

This crazy girl faced down a bear for him, though he was sure she would not be able to take it on should it have attacked. They would have both been dead. But this insane girl did that and he remembered being wrapped in something she had been wearing. It was _warm_ ….

And suddenly - the fact she was now battling a cold now made sense. She was sick after running out in the rain and using her main source of protection to bundle him up. Then while he was unconscious, she tended to his wounds the best that she was able. Now that he thought about it, he could faintly remember waking up briefly to see her passed out on a strange chair near his basket. It wasn’t for more than a minute or two due to being in such bad shape and feverish to boot, but she hardly looked comfortable.

She was going to share her soup with him as well, which caused another twinge of guilt. _Oh_ , he really needed to be less of a little shit. It didn’t sound like she could really afford to have an extra mouth to feed, but here she is - offering to share.

It was at this point that Soul noticed tears starting to roll down her cheeks and he sighed, somehow feeling really uncomfortable about her crying. With a gentleness that he didn’t even realize he ever possessed, he raised a furry paw and rested it on her cheek. 

_‘Maka… I don’t know who you are, but the tears need to stop. For some reason, I really can’t stand to see you crying… you weird human.’_

He gasped out in pain when she suddenly captured him in a borderline bone-crushing hug. The same anger from his previous interactions with her did not rise to the surface and he instead let out another sigh - _possibly for air at this point_. Okay, so she was worried about him.

Somehow, he could deal with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, the "strange chair" Maka was napping uncomfortably in was a beanbag chair. Soul is having to learn some of these oddities.


	3. Lucid Dreams and Maka the Demon Magnet

Their tender moment on the kitchen floor ended almost immediately after and Maka wiped away what tears she could with the base of one palm. She cradled Soul in the other arm, though his fuzzy tail brushed against her lap and the tile. 

"Sorry, I guess I can get stupidly emotional sometimes," she said with the brightest smile she could muster, letting out what Soul considered to be one of the most pathetic attempts at a chuckle he's ever heard in his life.

_'If that isn't the truth…'_

Maka noticed the letter and reached over, plucking it up off of the floor to examine it, "How did this get on the floor?" Still focusing on the envelope, she stood up using solely the strength of her legs.

Soul watched her expression, one ear flicking to the side when he noticed it darken, _'Uh oh. Something bad, I'm guessing.'_ Strangely, he made no move to escape and allowed her to hold him without a fuss. Not that he could exactly do much with a broken leg along with his other injuries.

Heaving a sigh, she flung the envelope back on the counter, "I almost forgot about that. I need to pay it before they send it off to collections." She returned her attention to the cradled fox, moving her other arm to further support his weight, "Maybe after I get you healthy and back out into the wild, I'll look for some extra part-time work. I'll just have to learn to live with less sleep."

He tilted his head at her smile, wondering why the hell she was reacting that way to what was obviously a negative - and unhealthy - arrangement. This Maka girl continued to stump him, because he knew for a fact that he wouldn't be happy about being forced to sleep less. 

He'd be _pissed_.

Suddenly, he found himself being set down on the counter adjacent to the stove - though at least a foot or so away from the prep work she had started. Maka had kept everything so nice and tidy, taking up a surprisingly small amount of space. Soul sat up awkwardly, his splinted leg sliding forward ever so slightly due to a diminished ability to grip surfaces with his paws. He looked up at Maka just in time to feel her ruffle the fur on top of his head fondly and blinked in confusion.

Maka seemed to realize her mistake right after he did and her mouth formed a small ‘o’ before she yanked her hand back, “Oh! Sorry! You probably don’t like to be touched unnecessarily. Also, it’s probably best I don’t since you’ll be returning to the wild eventually. Bad move, Maka.” She slumped a bit, her pigtails sliding over her shoulders and resting in front now. 

It was almost as if she had the memory of a goldish, because a moment later, she lightly poked his nose with a smile, “Stay here and don’t move, okay? I’ll be right back.”

Soul stared after her as she walked away, disappearing down the hallway towards her bedroom. The white fox reached up with his working leg, pawing at the top of his head in contemplation. His thoughts trailed back to the strange incident earlier, trying to figure out exactly what was triggered. Echoes of memories? No images came to mind; just emotions and a female voice shouting _“Tama”_. The first impression he got from the word was that it was meant to be a name. Whose name, though? 

Surely not _his_.

Movement by the window over the kitchen sink caught his eye and Soul shifted his gaze to look, freezing upon seeing the form of a black cat sitting on the windowsill outside. Blood-colored eyes met twinkling gold and after a few seconds of their impromptu staring contest, the cat seemed to _smirk_. 

He did not like this feline one _bit_ ; it was cocky and it almost seemed to be mocking him. Cats were all assholes, undoubtedly, but _this_ particular one had it out for him. There was no way this was a normal cat peering at him through the window. 

_No way._

As if to both torment him further and settle his suspicions, the cat stood and a second tail faded into view. The feline stuck out its tongue at him as if teasing, causing his fur to rise along the back of his neck and shoulders. He bared his teeth, ears pinning themselves back, _'Come at me, you cowardly feline! I know what you are!'_

The cat just stared at him, clearly unamused and hardly intimidated. A sudden noise inside caused both the uninvited guest and Soul to snap their attention to the side as Maka returned, carrying some blankets. The fox demon immediately snapped his attention back to the window, eyes widening when there was no sign of the cat, _'What…? Where…?'_

Maka set the blankets down on the edge of the counter, noticing Soul's confused look and also how abnormally fluffy he was, "Hm? Something wrong, little fox?" The girl followed his gaze to the window, lofting a brow upon seeing nothing. She opened her mouth to say something else when she heard a soft meowing before a small black cat appeared up in the window again, "Oh!"

Soul growled lowly, eyeing this creature with no small amount of distrust. She only had one tail now and rubbed up against the window, acting like the average cat. What was another demon doing _here_ , of all places? What were her motives…?

So focused on his newly appointed enemy that he barely noticed Maka walk across the kitchen and slide the window open. Soul made the most pathetic scream of alarm, not unlike the one he made earlier when Maka startled him. However, this one held a different weight to it that made it seem more aggressive - _which it was_.

He wanted to shout at the clueless human girl, but screeched angrily at her instead, _'That's a DEMON you're letting in, you idiot! Do you just take in all the strays you come across?!'_ If it really came down to it, he’d lose the disguise if he had to defend himself and to _hell_ with his injuries! Even in this state, he was recovered enough to take care of some small fry like this infernal _cat_.

Maka was startled and turned to face him, the black cat resting comfortably in her arms with beady little eyes watching Soul in amusement. "Do you not like cats? This cat is Blair and she's a stray… or was. She comes in sometimes, so it's okay!" Maka tried to explain, wondering why Soul's aggression returned in full force. Even before, he hadn't screeched like _this_ and she was certain he was throwing whatever swear words at her a fox might have in their own language.

Blair tilted her head back, looking up at Maka and meowing loudly enough to catch the human’s attention. Maka lowered her gaze to the cat, casting a brief glance at the enraged fox before back down at Blair. She seemed to contemplate something before moving to exit the kitchen, scratching the cat’s head fondly, “I’m going to have to properly introduce you two later, I guess. In a room you go, for now. I’ll leave some nice food for you in there, okay?”

Soul continued to seethe as the two of them left, _swearing_ that he caught another smirk from that wretched feline before they disappeared. _‘So… fucking… **smug** …!’_ he snarled to himself, riled up beyond usual. Normally, he wouldn’t give the smallest shit about someone he considered weaker than himself giving him attitude; but _this - THIS…!_

_**THIS** pissed him off!_

And Maka wasn’t helping matters. How idiotic did she have to be to be inviting that demonic _cretin_ into her living space? Did she not realize that she had not _one_ , but now _TWO_ youkai in her household?!

Despite his rage that was borderline stroke-inducing, some bit of reasoning managed to slip in and he relaxed ever-so-slightly. _‘Oh… right - she likely doesn’t realize we’re demonic entities. Stupid spiritually-blind human, afterall,’_ he realized, though it did little to lessen his temper. He could hear Maka’s footsteps and chose to curl up on top of the blankets she had set down earlier, giving her the figurative cold shoulder.

Maka made several attempts to peer at his face, but Soul would promptly look away and adjust himself to be able to keep his back to her, tail curled around his body. Releasing a sigh, she washed her hands before returning to her prep work. 

For the longest time, it was completely quiet outside of the sounds of her cooking. Soul’s head kept bobbing, eyes falling closed as he fought sleep. Apparently mending bones and tissue took a great deal out of him, in addition to all of the excitement he’s been victim to today.

Despite his valiant attempts at remaining conscious, exhaustion finally overcame him and his head finally plopped down onto the plush blankets. The sudden collision barely jostled him awake and he fully slipped away into dreamland.

-

[The fox youkai - now _Tama_ \- paused to shake out his fur, _"That was quite the adventure. Who knew souls could be so tasty?"_ As if to further emphasize the newly-discovered fact, he ran his tongue along the tips of his sharp teeth before giving her a grin, _"You should try it sometime, (faded)."_

"Yeah, I think I shall pass on your offer," the girl in question replied, scrunching up her face at the thought of eating a soul. "You are the one that needs to be eating the souls. The more you absorb, the stronger you become, correct?"

Slightly miffed that she didn't play along with his joke, he tilted his head while looking up at her, _"Well, that is the plan, anyway."_ He glanced back behind him, waving his one tail in the air, _"Then I will have nine tails and be one of the most powerful familiars."_ A brief silence as he gave another experimental flick of his tail, _"Think they will look amazing…?"_

The young priestess turned to look at him, giving him her full attention. Seeing his genuinely curious expression, she smiled warmly, "Of course! Everyone will be jealous! You will be a respectable familiar and look like some mystical creature out of a fairy tale."

His ears and tail drooped a bit and he gave her a look that seemed to be a mixture of embarrassment and grumpiness, _"I am fairly sure demons aren't in fairy tales, (faded). Horror stories, maybe."_

She only smiled brighter, reaching over to ghost her fingers over one of his black-tipped ears, "Well, shows what you know. I am sure there is at least _one_ ; and if not - then we will just have to create a new fairy tale." Spinning on her heel, she started walking further up the stone walkway that led to their shrine, "The Tale of the Nine-tailed Fox and the Priestess. How does that sound?"

_"Sounds redundant and obscenely long for a title,"_ he grumbled, trotting after her.

Hardly discouraged by his pessimism, she looked up in thought, "The Tale of a Priestess and Fox?"

_"Uh… no."_

"The Tale of a Fox Familiar and his Priestess?"

_"No. (Faded)-"_

"The Tale of a Priestess and her Fox Familiar?"

His ears flattened against his skull, experiencing a mixture of frustration, annoyance, and something else he couldn't quite put a name to. _Why the hell was she being so persistent about some idiotic fairy tale name?_ The kitsune stopped a yard or two away as she approached the temizuya and reached for the wooden ladle, beginning the process of cleansing, _“It is not like someone would write a tale about us - or **me** in particular. While I am your familiar, I am still considered a demon, remember? No good stories or ‘fairy tales’ - as you put them - will come from our partnership. So, I am not sure why you are so determined to think of an ideal name for some impossible story that no one will scribe.”_

The priestess did not even pause in her cleansing ritual, pouring water into her cupped left hand. She gingerly sipped it before allowing the 'contaminated' water to spill from her lips and onto the ground. After pouring the remaining water into the pool, she scooped up another full ladle before walking towards her familiar with a grace Tama found somewhat unbefitting of his new master. The blonde-haired woman proceeded to douse him evenly from nose to the tip of his tail with the water that they held sacred.

Oh, how he _hated_ this ritual, despite not actually harmed from it. Being a familiar had its advantages after all, even with him technically being a demon. Her silence, however, kept him both on edge and confused. The kitsune lowered his head slightly, pointed ears flicked to the side as water dripped from the tips and created temporary stains on the ground. Once she had retreated a fair distance to return the ladle, he shook out his fur in an attempt to get rid of as much water as possible. Wet fur was among the top things he hated on his long list….

“You know,” she started, her back to him as her olive-green eyes focused on the rippling surface of the water. “Our partnership is very new and there are still a great many things uncertain. However, much like a seed of a plant, we have the opportunity to grow. A beautiful garden is never just one single flower, correct?” She turned to face him, offering the fox a smile that had the strangest calming effect, “We are still but seeds - buds, perhaps. With flowers, there are types that do not coexist favorably with one another. I want to believe that you and I are complementary to one another in this rather complex garden. Even if there are others who wish to damper our bloom, we will just have to stand strong. You and I will just have to be the most beautiful flowers in this vast garden, where each flower and weed is a person or familiar.”

His red eyes shifted to the side before the crunching of geta on soil drew his attention back to the human girl. The kitsune froze with her gentle hands sought to make contact with the sides of his jaw. She gently held his head in her palms, lightly coaxing him to look up at her and his red eyes widened ever-so-slightly seeing the softest smile on her lips. “Or we can just be two beautiful blooms on our own, subject to no garden and the whims of others,” the priestess said softly, lowering her head to press her forehead against his own. Almost instinctively, he closed his eyes and she did the same, allowing her fingers to lightly skirt across the fur of his jaw and just past his slanted eyes. “And if no one will write a fanciful tale of our adventures, then I will strive to write the tale myself. All I need to decide upon is the title….”

His priestess released her hold on him and a small part of him felt almost disappointed, watching as she moved past him to head towards shelter. Tama turned to face her, watching her closely before his vulpine lips twitched into some semblance of a smirk, _“Oh, (faded), you are most certainly horrible with titles. Completely hopeless… so hopeless, that I simply must keep an eye on you and assist you in this impossible endeavor.”_

“You are hardly kind, my dear fox,” she laughed, waiting for him to reach her side before they both made the remaining trek to their quarters. “I suppose we will have to sort this out together, too.”

_“Together,” he echoed thoughtfully, humming quietly to himself. “Yes - **together**.”_]


End file.
